This online report explores how college admissions selectivity relates to tuition and total cost among higher-education institutions in California. The goal is to provide a decision-maker-friendly view of accessibility, pricing, and institutional differences.
Research questions
How do acceptance rates differ across institution types (public vs. private nonprofit vs. private for-profit)?
What is the relationship between selectivity and tuition?
How do cost patterns vary by institution type?
Data & Setup
Rows: 153 | Columns: 19 | Institutions: 153
Unit ID
Institution Name
City
State
ZIP Code
Control Code
Institution Type
Acceptance Rate (0-1)
Acceptance Rate (%)
Undergraduate Enrollment
In-State Tuition USD
Out-of-State Tuition (USD)
Total Cost of Attendance USD
Total Program Cost (USD)
SAT Verbal Midpoint
SAT Math Midpoint
ACT Composite Midpoint
Locale Code
Region Code
0
108852
American Academy of Dramatic Arts-Los Angeles
Los Angeles
CA
90028
2
Private nonprofit
0.8968
89.68
169.0
39475.0
39475.0
55265.0
NaN
NaN
NaN
NaN
11.0
8
1
108861
Berkeley School of Theology
Berkeley
CA
94704-3029
2
Private nonprofit
0.6296
62.96
28.0
2896.0
2896.0
61564.0
NaN
NaN
NaN
NaN
12.0
8
2
109651
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena
CA
91103
2
Private nonprofit
0.7498
74.98
2054.0
51640.0
51640.0
71652.0
NaN
NaN
NaN
NaN
12.0
8
3
109785
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa
CA
91702-7000
2
Private nonprofit
0.7948
79.48
2977.0
43600.0
43600.0
54735.0
NaN
561.0
556.0
22.0
21.0
8
4
110097
Biola University
La Mirada
CA
90639-0001
2
Private nonprofit
0.6008
60.08
3390.0
46704.0
46704.0
58430.0
NaN
626.0
600.0
26.0
21.0
8
Missing values analysis:
missing_values
pct
Total Program Cost (USD)
141
92.16
ACT Composite Midpoint
122
79.74
SAT Math Midpoint
120
78.43
SAT Verbal Midpoint
120
78.43
Locale Code
9
5.88
Findings
Finding 1: Acceptance rates differ by institution type
Interpretation: This chart compares average accessibility across governance models. Public institutions often have a broader-access mission, while private nonprofit institutions can be more selective.
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Finding 2: Selectivity and tuition show a negative relationship
Interpretation: More selective institutions tend to charge higher tuition, though the relationship is not perfect-many public institutions cluster at lower tuition levels regardless of acceptance rate.
—
Finding 3: Total cost differs substantially by institution type
Interpretation: Private nonprofit institutions often show higher median and wider variability in total cost; public institutions generally cluster at lower total cost.
—
Finding 4: Correlations among key numeric variables
Available numeric columns for correlation (top 7 by completeness): ['Acceptance Rate (0-1)', 'Acceptance Rate (%)', 'Undergraduate Enrollment', 'In-State Tuition USD', 'Out-of-State Tuition (USD)', 'Total Cost of Attendance USD', 'Locale Code']
Interpretation: Tuition and total cost are strongly related, while test-score fields may be missing for many institutions, which can affect correlations.
—
Finding 5: Most vs least selective institutions
TOP 10 MOST SELECTIVE INSTITUTIONS (Lowest Acceptance Rates):
Institution Name
Institution Type
Acceptance Rate (%)
In-State Tuition USD
10
Alliant International University-San Diego
Private for-profit
0.00
13918.0
144
Alliant International University-Fresno
Private for-profit
0.00
24575.0
145
Alliant International University-Los Angeles
Private for-profit
0.00
24575.0
146
Alliant International University-San Francisco...
Private for-profit
0.00
24575.0
147
Alliant International University-Irvine
Private for-profit
0.00
24575.0
148
Alliant International University-Sacramento
Private for-profit
0.00
24575.0
7
California Institute of Technology
Private nonprofit
3.14
63255.0
124
Minerva University
Private nonprofit
3.55
18700.0
100
Stanford University
Private nonprofit
3.91
62484.0
73
Pomona College
Private nonprofit
6.76
62326.0
TOP 10 LEAST SELECTIVE INSTITUTIONS (Highest Acceptance Rates):
Institution Name
Institution Type
Acceptance Rate (%)
In-State Tuition USD
60
Newschool of Architecture and Design
Private for-profit
100.0
30291.0
67
Pacific States University
Private nonprofit
100.0
9810.0
84
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School
Private nonprofit
100.0
14535.0
107
American University of Health Sciences
Private for-profit
100.0
24575.0
115
University of the West
Private nonprofit
100.0
14718.0
121
Brand College
Private for-profit
100.0
24575.0
125
California Jazz Conservatory
Private nonprofit
100.0
23700.0
133
The Chicago School at San Diego
Private nonprofit
100.0
20844.0
137
Young Americans College of the Performing Arts
Private nonprofit
100.0
14030.0
143
Arizona College of Nursing-Ontario
Private for-profit
100.0
30133.0
SUMMARY:
Most selective: 0.0% acceptance rate
Least selective: 100.0% acceptance rate
Median acceptance rate overall: 68.2%
Interpretation. Looking at extremes can reveal specialized schools (high acceptance) and elite institutions (low acceptance), which helps contextualize averages.
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Interactive Exploration
If you view this report as HTML, the Plotly chart below supports hover and zoom.
Executive Summary Table
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BY INSTITUTION TYPE:
Institution Type
Institution Count
Avg Acceptance Rate Percent
Median Tuition USD
Median Total Cost USD
Avg Enrollment
Min Acceptance Rate Percent
Max Acceptance Rate Percent
0
Private for-profit
31
58.5
24575
41795
510
0.0
100.0
1
Private nonprofit
84
60.8
42470
61564
1918
3.1
100.0
2
Public
38
65.5
7741
24998
17307
8.7
98.8
Methodology
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), filtered to California institutions.
Cleaning: Basic type checks, inspection of missingness, and descriptive summaries.
Visualization principles: Emphasis on clarity and comparison; avoid unnecessary chart junk.
Limitations
Some institutions have substantial missingness (especially SAT/ACT fields).
Cross-sectional snapshot (single period): does not capture trends over time.
Some variables may be self-reported by institutions. titutions.
Conclusion
This analysis suggests a consistent pattern in California higher education: selectivity and cost often move together, while public institutions tend to deliver broader access at lower tuition. The combination of static and interactive visualizations demonstrates how online reporting can make complex institutional patterns easier to explore and communicate.
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Appendix: Reproducibility Notes
Ensure college acceptance CA.csv is in the same folder as this .qmd.